Prom Gets Grown Up: How To Do It Adult Style

by Roxana Hernandez · April 20, 2011

Have you walked into a store lately and noticed the abundance of satin, chiffon and rhinestone embellished dresses? It's prom season! If you had a great time, maybe you want to do it again? Maybe yours didn't go as well as every TV movie had you hoping? Whatever the case, everyone wants a second chance to dance at prom. -

And why not do it again? Walking through the aisles of Cinderella dresses and tutus can easily trigger the desire to drown yourself in tulle. Well you can go back! Throwing a grownup style prom party definitely has its benefits. Forget about the teen drama and the way-awkward posed pictures. Let's trade the boring punch for a spiked punch bowl and redeem your old school prom dress for a sexy number. But let's not forget about the best part of an adult style prom, no chaperons!

Prom Part Deux

Tips on how to throw your own Grownup Prom Party:

Keep the venue classic and pick a theme for your prom. Make sure the space feels interesting and play with the lights. Keep them dim with a bit of twinkle. And don't be afraid to pick a theme that your school never would have approved of: S&M Prom, Zombie Prom, Robot Prom, etc. Or you could always stick with the tried and true Under The Sea. No matter what, don't forget confetti and balloons.

Prom is always essentially the same. But as time changes, so do the trends. Make it modern by texting to ask your prom companion to the big event. Kids these days are doing it! Some 66% of them would say yes if asked this way. Textplus has a few tips on asking your date to prom over text and a great infographic on how kids are using their digits to score dates.

Redeeming our choice of prom dress doesn't have to be expensive there are many prom dresses under $100. And what is better than a thrift store find from the '80's. You can even design your own dress out of some surprising materials like, duct tape and gum wrappers. My favorite dress is made by a mom in Wisconsin who thought it would be sweet to design her daughter's prom dress, clutch, shoes and her dates vest out of starburst candy wrappers! Make sure everyone knows that a cocktail dress or puffy skirt is mandatory and don't let anyone past your door with out appropriate attire.

Forget about an expensive DJ, just plug in iTunes or put Pandora on your favorite nostalgia-based station. Ask a few music savvy friends to create a playlist from the past and smile as you lay your head on someone's shoulder to Boyz II Men

Dont forget the best part! Make sure the punch is spiked! Whether you want to keep it classy with a regular punch bowl or keep it old school with Crack Juice, there's a spiked punch for everyone's taste. The Recipe: Mix 1 bottle vodka, 8 cans beer, 2 cansfrozen lime juice concentrate in a large container, fill half way with ice. Try not to vomit.

How else can you celebrate the bygone days?

Embark on a 30 Day Prom Stunt like these two New Yorkers, Mallory and Bianca (founders of Small Girls PR). They've created takemetotheprom.com and had fun documenting their their daily life in prom dresses. Becoming prom dress experts from their experience, they're sharing inspirations, tips and tricks, prom stories, and video. Catch up on what they have been up to [Daily Style Phile: Take Me To The Prom - Guest of a Guest]

Or go to a prom themed event. Stylelite, Tumblr & Tiza.com will be hosting: You've Got Prom to benefit the Lower East Side Girls Club. Some names on the guest list are Charlotte Ronson, Rebecca Minkoff, Dan Abrams, Kelly Benisomon, and Hayley Bloomingdale.